2012-Mar-29 -> from the I-bet-you-wish-this-was-about-beer departmentTags:

...an expression often used in the Free and Open Source community. It refers to getting something for no charge. There are other types of free as well. Free as in freedom comes to mind. I like getting software for free. But it's the principle that matters. The community that backs that software, and the reason people are doing it. Done for the right reasons, free makes sense.

I don't think that giving away thousands of copies of my book on Amazon Select makes sense. It doesn't make sense to me, and it's not fair to all those who have already bought my book. I think the hundreds of hours of effort put into my book are worth more than that, and really, $2.99 is not a high price to pay for an eBook.

But I do want to do my own free promotion, and I just happen to have a Birthday coming up.

So, in celebration of my Birthday, I'll be running a "Gift One, Get One" program. Yup, I'm gonna give some books away for free. But not free as in beer. There's a catch.

Here's how it works:

On April 4, 2012 (my birthday) you go out and gift a copy of my eBook through Amazon to somebody you know. It could be a friend, a helpful techie, a relative, or anybody else you think might enjoy my book.

Amazon will send you a receipt showing that you sent somebody my book as a gift. Forward this receipt to me (I promise to keep your personal info a secret) at taknight@dragon-wing.net and I will send you a copy of The Time Weaver in a format of your choice (PDF, Kindle, or ePub).

What if you want to gift a copy, but you already own The Time Weaver? Well, I really appreciate that, and to make up for that, I am more than happy to forward the free copy on to anyone else of your choosing, and not only that, but I will keep your email address on file for the sole purpose of sending you a pre-release copy of Legacy: Book II of the Time Weaver Chronicles once it is ready.

Want the free copy of The Time Weaver -AND- the pre-release of Legacy once it's ready? Gift two copies of The Time Weaver to two different people, and I'll give you both.

There is no limit to the number of times you can "Gift One, Get One". If you gift three people a copy of my book, I will give three copies away (one to you, two to friends; or three to friends, etc.)

I hope you find this reasonable. I thought it was more than generous.

But Wait, There's More!

Yes. More. My usual charitable donation still applies. For every eBook copy of The Time Weaver sold I will donate $0.50 to The Helios Initiative. This means that not only are you giving the gift of a great book to somebody you know, you are also getting a book yourself, and helping out a great charity that provides free Linux based computers to under-privileged children. This really is a win-win-win situation. But remember, it is one day only: April 4, 2012.

As always, thanks for your support, and I'll be looking forward to seeing some emails on my Birthday! It's a great day to send gifts!